Hepatitis C Cost
Hepatitis C Medication and the Price We Pay
Learner
Technical Writing
Nightingale College
Hepatitis C Cost
Due to its easy transmission by sharing needles, Hepatitis C is often associated with IV
drug users; however, life-saving medications should be available to the general public at
affordable prices. Moreover, many of the people who develop this disease have low incomes and
lack the resources to be able to pay for the medication in the event that a copayment is needed.
This is because, despite a diagnosis, finding medication or having insurance cover it can be
challenging. This can cost thousands of dollars to the patient each month.
Globally, 67 million people have been infected with chronic hepatitis C. Annually
approximately 399,000 people die from chronic hepatitis C. Worldwide, people who inject drugs
are the most likely to contract chronic hepatitis C. By 2030, WHO plans to eliminate hepatitis C
as a public health threat by reducing its incidence by 80% and related deaths by 65%. World
Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 1.5 million newly acquired hepatitis C
infections occur annually, yet, in 2017, only 1.6 million patients were treated for hepatitis C. If
the current trend continues, less than 1.5 million people will be treated by 2030. Hepatitis C will
not be eradicated by then. The likelihood of eradication is low for only 12 countries. The
elimination of Hepatitis C requires a multifaceted approach involving affordable treatment scale-
up (Douglass et al., 2018).
In a 2015 article about new Hepatitis C medications, money, and advocacy
Trooskin and her colleagues discuss implementing a federal statutory authority to govern the
distribution of Hepatitis C medications. It is estimated that over 3 million people in the United
States suffer from hepatitis C, often leading to liver failure or death. The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration approved several revolutionary drugs in 2014 to treat hepatitis C, resulting in
excellent cure rates above 90%. Due to their exorbitant costs and large population in need,
Hepatitis C Cost
Medicaid rations, these drugs, and other insurers have restricted their coverage. The national
mobilization of patient advocacy, U.S. congressional inquiries, and legal challenges have
resulted from these access barriers and disparities. Trooskin and her colleagues also continue to
say that a request for intervention has been made to the United States Department of Health and
Human Services. In order to reduce access barriers and facilitate focused price negotiations,
there should be the establishment of a federal program similar to the AIDS Drug Assistance
Program. According to federal statutory authority and principles of eminent domain, the federal
government may acquire pharmaceutical patents nonvoluntarily. This proposal is expected to
result in a 90 percent cost reduction and eliminate rationing (Trooskin et al., 2015).
A new generation of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has dramatically changed the
landscape of hepatitis C treatment and prevention. The World Health Organization has set a 2030
deadline for eradicating hepatitis C as a public health threat. The price discrepancy between
low-, middle-, and high-income countrie